


Understanding

by Arsoemon



Series: Younglings [8]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akechi is trying, Akira is a good big brother, Alternate Universe - Babies, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Baby angst, Childhood, Family Dynamics, Gen, Tiny Thief Verse, Younglings, after school special vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27434143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arsoemon/pseuds/Arsoemon
Summary: Goro learns a few things with Sojiro’s newest tiny thief
Series: Younglings [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1581940
Kudos: 26





	Understanding

**Author's Note:**

> They’re probably about 4-7 here.

Yusuke is swinging his legs and humming to himself as he colors in the picture he finished drawing yesterday. He's been working on it for a whole week now, but that's okay; this one is important, it has to be good.

Akechi has been looking up from his reading for a while now, his anger multiplying by the second. In the half hour they've been sitting here, he's been kicked what feels like a million times and has reread this one page almost as many.

"Yusuke," he looks to the younger boy who apparently didn't hear him. "Yusuke," he calls a bit louder, but the boy keeps humming.

Yusuke has only been with them for a few months now, and they're all still getting to know him. It was noted early on that he tends to zone out when he's focused, but Akechi didn't believe it. He assumed he was just ignoring people at will. So when the new kid's foot connects with his shin once more, he loses it. He slams the book on the table and snatches the picture away.

Yusuke whines his disapproval as he reaches for the paper, the stray red line he just accidentally added causing immeasurable distress. They struggle over the drawing until Yusuke catches an elbow to the face and falls to the floor. He lies there on the verge of tears and holding his cheek but is still determined to get the picture back. 

"Goro! You methed it up!"

Akechi looks him dead in the eye and rips the drawing into pieces. "There. Fixed it." Yusuke begins to cry as Akechi drops the pieces on him and walks out. He bumps into Akira in the doorway.

"What happened?" Akira asks.

"Mind your business," Akechi shoves past him.

"Are you upset?"

"Are you dumb?" He calls over his shoulder.

"You're in a bad mood, but you don't have to be mean." He looks at the boy crying on the floor.

"And you finally know how to talk, but you don't have to do so much of it."

Akira and Futaba had learned to deal with Akechi's anger issues when Sojiro first took the older boy in. They've all since reached an understanding on their various temperaments, triggers, and coping mechanisms, but there were still outbursts every now and then. They often ended with Akira's feelings hurt, but he's survived worse and quickly learned to not take it personally—most of the time.

Once Sojiro added no hitting in all caps to the rule board, Akechi would just yell or stalk off to be alone for a time before apologizing. And on the rare occasion when he did break the rule, Akira could more or less hold his own. But now he's broken a big rule with the new kid, the kid who Akira has felt from the beginning that he needs to protect.

"You bully!" He calls down the hall. Akechi stops and turns to look at him incredulously.

"What did you call me?"

"You heard me! Why did you hurt him? Sojiro said 'be kind.' It's on the board!"

"Is it kind to keep kicking someone or to keep making noise when you see they're trying to read?!"

"Did you ask him to stop? We have to use our words!"

"How am I supposed to use my words if he's never gonna listen?! I called him three times!"

"And then you ripped up his picture? The one he's been working so hard on for a long time? We're not supposed to hurt each other, Goro! Apologize!"

"Who are you to tell me anything?! I'm the oldest!"

"And the meanest!"

Akechi stands directly in his face, trying to intimidate the boy with his two inch height advantage. "What're you gonna do about it?"

Akira defiantly stares him directly in the eye. "Not hit you." Akechi growls before turning and running away. Akira turns his attention back to the boy in the room. He helps Yusuke sit up and collects all the pieces of the drawing.

"Are you okay?" Yusuke takes the piece with the stray red line and a new rush of tears comes flowing out. Akira hugs him until the tears let up again. "We can fix it."

"How?" He sniffles.

Akira runs to a nearby set of drawers and, returns after some rummaging. "Tape."

"And that?" Yusuke points to the red line.

"Hmm..." Akira waits for Yusuke to arrange the pieces in order before breaking off strips of the tape. "How about a river? You can make purple, right?" Yusuke's face brightens at the suggestion, the wheels clearly turning again.

•

"Hi, Momma," Akechi hears as he's passing by the room they all share. He peeks in to see Yusuke kneeling in front of the window. "I hope you had a great day. I have another picture for you. I'm thorry it got teared up, but Akira helped me put it back okay. I hope you like it. I think you would like Akira and Jiro-than and Futaba and Goro. I like them. Jiro-than even let uth eat three time every day! And he give uth hug, too. I'm happy with them. But I think Goro hate me. I don't know what I did wrong, but I will try to be good juth like you alwayth told me. I will try not to meth it all up. I hope you like your home, too. Thank you for keeping the montherth away. Thee you again later. Love you."

Goro is still standing there when Yusuke emerges from the room, and with a start, Yusuke absently grabs his cheek. The fear in the younger boy’s eyes does something to Goro. Normally, it feels good when the other kids at school are afraid of him, he feels strong; but something about this boy who’s supposed to be his littlest brother being afraid of him doesn’t feel like that. Before he can think of the words, Yusuke darts past him, running from him like he’s a dark room.

It’s been a while since Akechi felt this bad. Dinner is mostly quiet, as usual. Sojiro asks each of them how their day was. Akechi makes up a short answer and tries to pretend all is well, but Sojiro knows them too well not to pry a little.

“How wath your day, Jiro-than?” Yusuke asks before the man can focus too much on the oldest. Now, on top of an apology, he owes him thanks, too.

They do their parts in cleaning up for the night. Akechi catches Yusuke in the bit of post-bath free time they have before bed.

“Yusuke. Read this with me,” he holds up a picture book, flipping to the first page as he sits on the floor. “I’ll read this box and you do the next one and then I’ll read the one after that.”

“Me?” He still looks afraid.

Akechi gives a sigh. “I’m sorry about your picture. I didn’t know it was for your mom. And I didn’t mean to hit you. It was an accident.”

Yusuke still looks nervous but comes to sit with him. They take turns reading each page and dialogue box. “I don’t know that word.”

“Spell it. Now sound it out. Mhm. Know what it means?”  
  


The boys have since reconciled their differences and even get along for the most part now. But Akechi can’t help but remember that day from time to time, his reminder to think of others and be good to his family.


End file.
